Paper machinery



i Feb., 2, 1940. s A STAEGE 190,51

PAPER MACHINERY Filed Sept. 5, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l NVEINTOR ATTRNEY Feb. 20, 1940. s. A. sTAEGE PAPER MACHINERY Filed Sept." 5L 1936 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l INVENITQR Mn/@ 9 foz/ ATTORNEY S. A. STAEGE PAPER MACHINERY Feb. 20, 1940.

Filed Sept. 5, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER MACHINERY Stephen A. Staege, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor t The Black-Clawson Company, Hamilton, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application September 5, 1936, Serial No. 99,527

Claims.

, supporting frame, and are interconnected and' driven by mechanism including spur gears arranged for quiet and satisfactory operation over long periods of time.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a roll drive in which the rolls are operated by spur gears that are smaller in diameter than the rolls, and which are so arranged and driven that the driving pinion which operates aspur gear on a roll is required to carry the load of only one of the rolls.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a roll drive of the character mentioned, in which the roll operating gearing for each roll is arranged as a unit capable f being assembled independently and capable of being readily connected in place on theroll supporting frame.

Another `object of theI invention is the provision of a series of drier rolls each of which is operated by a spur gear that is smaller in diameter than the roll, the independent driving pinions that are provided, one for each gear, being arranged in laterally spaced relation with respect to the gears so that satisfactory 'operation is obtained even though the axis of the roll should be somewhat above or below its-theoretically correct position. Plain bearings may thus be used for the support of the roll, giving a comparatively simple and economical construction.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a paper drier including vertical stacks of drier rolls, each stack being operated by a drive shaft, and each roll being independently driven from the drive shaft through gearing which is adapted for satisfactbry and comparatively noiseless operation over long periods of time.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a portion of a paper drying machine, embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3, and illustrating the drive mechanism by means of which one end of the roll is driven;

Fig. 3 ls a top plan view of an end part of the machine with certain portions shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line l-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the drive, in a modied formof construction, in

which the rolls are arranged in a horizontal 10 series.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by reference numerals, the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, is shown in its 'adaptation to a paper drying apparatus in which 15 upright portions of the frame II` rotatably sup- 25 ports ytv'vo stacks of drier rolls I2, the paper being passed from one roll to another, in a serpentine path. As will be more fully described, the various rolls are all operated in timed relation, by means of drive mechanism, providing the same peripheral speed of operation of the drive rolls.,

It has been the practice, in paper drier construction, to provide spur gears adjacent the ends of the rolls, these spur gears-intermeshing, and being considerably larger in diameter than the rolls so that they can intermesh directly with one another. However the rolls themselves are oftentimes very large in diameter and operate at a comparativelyhigh rate of speedso that considerable wear and noise is produced by these "o large gears due to their extremely high pitch line velocity. Another objection to this construction is that the large size of the gears interferes at the driven ends of the rolls with free access to the paper when a break in the paper web can be made less than the roll diameter, and 55 plain bearings may be employed for the support of the roll. i

The drier rolls, as illustrated inFig. 1, are arranged in vertical stacks.` Power may be supplied from a suitable "driving motor I to a group of the rolls by. a` vertical drive shaft or shafts. As shown, two'shafts I6 and I1` are employed for a double stack, `shaft I6 providing for the operation of the three rolls shown at the left of the end column while shaft I1 furnishes power for the operation of the rolls shown at the right of this column. The driveshaft I6 is preferably constructed as connected aligned sections I8, and shaft I1 is similarly composed of connected sections. One oi the shaft sections '|8, and its co-aotion with the machine frame and with the drier roll I2 which it operates is more fully illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The roll I2 has a journal end 28 which is rotatably supported in a suitable bearing 2|, at each end of the roll. These bearings may be plain or simple friction bearings as the construction is such as not to necessarily require anti-friction bearings for the roll. The bearing 2| is carried by suitable supporting` bracket 22 which is preferably bolted in a detachable manner to the side of the machine frame II.

Fixed to the roll I2 is a gear 25, and in accordance with the present invention this gear may be a simple/spur gear, meshing' withand driven by pinion 26. Preferably the gears 25 and 26 are arrangedA between the end of the roll and the frame member in which the roll is journaled, to locate the gear closely adjacent 'the end. of the roll. It should be particularly noted, however, that the pinion 26 is arranged laterally, and preferably horizontally spaced from the roll axis. In that way, if the plain bearings of the .roll should become worn down or if there should be some small misalignment in connecting the spur gear 25 with the roll shaft, the proper meshing engagement between the gear 25 and pinion 26 may be maintained, and no serious misalignment or abnormal meshing will occur, permitting noiseless operation even though the roll is driven at comparatively high speed.

The pinion 26 is provided on the inner end of a shaft 28, which projects from one side ofA the frame member II to the other. On its outer end the shaft 28 carries a bevel gear 29 which is driven by an operating bevel pinion 30 provided on a shaft 3|. The bevel gear and pinion are preferably of the spiral bevel type.

'I'he shaft 3| is rotatably supported'in bearings 33, of theroller oranti-friction type, pro vided adjacent the upper and lower ends of the gear housing 34 in which the bevel gear and pinion and likewise the shafts 3| and 28 are housed. The housing 34 preferably includes the housing side 35 and the housing body 36, which are detachably secured together by means of bolts 31 or the like. The housing34 rotatably supports the shaft 28 by means of suitable bearings 38, preferably anti-friction bearings. dellnitely coordinating the position and arrangement of the shaft 28 with respect to the shaft 3| so that these parts. and the gears to which they are connected, may be independently assembled as`a unit on the bench or at any convenient point, and then applied as a unitto the drier frame. As the units are all of similar construction they can be economically built in large quantities, and by boring the housing 34 for both shafts 3| and 28 at the same set up, perfect alignment can be obtained with the shaftsexactly at right angles and in the same plane. Thus the housing 34, with its assembled shaft 3|, bevel pinion 38, bevel gear 29, shaft 28 and drive pinion 26, and the several bearings for.

the shafts 3| and 28 may be all applied as a unit by inserting thecylindrical extending portion\\3\9 of the housing 34 into a round hole 40 which maybe machined in the frame II at the proper location with respect to the roll journal shaft. The housing is then secured in place by bolts 45. The outside diameter of the drive pinion 26, as shown, is less than the inside diameter of the hole 40 so that the pinion 26 can be assembled on the shaft 28 as a part of the unitary drive before applying the drive to the machine frame. As will be readily understood, the pinion 26 readily meshes itself with the gear 25, merely by moving the drive unit inan axial direction, towards the right, as viewed in Fig. 2.

After the drive unit is moved in place, and the gear 26 brought into proper meshing relationship with the gear 25, these two gears may be enclosed by a suitable, oil-tight casing 42,

which may be constructed as upper and lower` halves that are connected together by bolts which pass through abutting flanges 43,l the gear enclosing casing having suitable interlocking relationship as indicated at 44 withfthe bearing support of the roll.

The various shaft sections I8, may be readily vconnected to oneanother by flexible coupling devices 46, and the. portions of the shaft sections which project beyond the upper and lower ends of the housing 34 may be enclosed by suitable stationary pipe portions 41 after the shaft sections have been coupled to one another, the pipe portions extending from the housing of one gear unit to the next. The pipes," may be made sectional as vertically split semi-circular halves, capable of being readily assembled and removed, and are made to provide an oil-tight enclosure.

The various housings which enclose the drive gears and the shafts 28 of the drive units, and the pipe sections which connect superposed housings are supplied continuously with oil which is pumped to the upper housing or section of each vertical series and which flows down through the several pipe sections and housings and lubricates the various anti-friction bearings of the drive mechanism. This oil is preferably supplied from a pump 50, driven by the motor I5, and receiving the oil from the lower gear chamber 5I in'which the drive gearing is provided for the operation of the shafts I6 and I1. The oil is pumped through.- a pipe 52 to the pipe sections at the top of tlie vertically extending drive shafts as shown at the left of Fig. 1, the

oil supply pipes being omitted for some of the stacks in this figure for simplicity of illustrations but oil is similarly supplied to the shafts of the other rolls of' the drier either from the same pump 58 or from other pumps correspondingly located.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the pipe section 41 is provided with a baille wall 54, having a downwardlyextending lip 55 which controls the flow of oil so as to supply it to an annular groove or channel 56. One or more passages 51 extend down from the channel 56 supplying the oil to the internal gear or spline 58 and the external gear 59 which meshes with it and provide a flexible connection between the shaft section 60 and the shaft portion 3|, permitting flexibility of alignment of these shaft sections. 'I'he oil the outer end of the shaft 28.v

The oil is maintained at a suitable level through the anti-friction bearing the oil4 flow divides, some of it passing down onto the gear 30 and into a reservoir basin 64, while the remaining half is deflected by a stationary baille wall and flows through a channel 65 and directly to the anti-friction bearing 38 which supports After passing through the bearing 38 this portion of the oil flows through' a channel 66 from the right end to the bearing and from the left end of the bearing into the reservoir basin 64, into which the lower part of the bevel `gear 29 dips.

The oil flows from the basin 64 over the top of the wall 68 and down through the anti-friction bearing 33 at the lower part of the shaft section 3|, and then flows through the channel 63 past the gear or splined interconnection 'I8 which is provided between the shaft 3| and a second shaft section 1| similar to section 60, and then down to the next baffle wall 54 and from there on the construction is similar to the arrangement just described. Thus the oil flows down through the several pipe conduitswhich are arranged around the various sections of each vertical shaft and flows through the housings of the drive units, bathing the various anti-friction bearings and the spline or gear drive connections between the drive sections, being returned upwardly for recirculation by means of the pump 50.

The pump 5U also supplies oil through a branch pipe 14 which leads to the anti-friction bearing 38 at the right handend of the upper shaft 28, and the oil, after passing through this bearing 38, flowsthrough a channel 15 and flows from the right hand end of the bearing into the oil-tight casing 42 which encloses the gears 26 and 25. in the housing 42, somewhat above the bottom of the gear 25, as determined by the position of the re,- turn pipe 16, see Fig. 2, this pipe 76 taking the oil, by gravity, down to the next lower bearing 38 of the unit below.

As will be apparent no oil seals are required for the various rotating shafts, because the entire shafting, bearings, gear housings, etc., are entirely enclosed against leakage of oil, the continuous circulation of oil taking place from the pump to an elevated point, and then flowing by gravity through the several vertically arranged units.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the third and fourth stacks of rolls, as illustrated at 80 and 8|, may be driven from drive shafts 52 and 53 respectively, which are operated either by the same motor I5 that drives the shafts I6 and Il, or by an independent driving motor operated in timed relation with motor 5. As many additional stacks of rolls may be provided as required. Between each stack of rolls there is preferably a'transfer roll- 84, `driven from shaft sections which are operated from the vertical shafts. The operating means for the transfer rolls 84 include horizontally extending shaft `portions similar to shaft portions 28, these shaft portions being enclosed in housings 85 and supported in bearings and lubri-4 cated in the same manner as the various vertical shaft sections.

With a horizontal arrangement of rolls, as illustrated in Fig. 5 showing a somewhat modified form of`the invention, the shaft sections 86, 8l

and 88 arelconnected to one another in horizontal4 alignment and in vertical spaced relation with respect to the axes of the rolls 88. Each of the shaft sections carries an operating pinion 90, meshing with a bevel gear 9|, the gears 90 and 9| preferably being the spiral bevel type. The gear 9| for each roll meshes with a gear 92 which is fixed to the roll and as will be apparent from Fig. 5, the axes of the gears 8| and of their respective roll iournals are laterally spaced apart so that any vertical displacement of the roll axis, such as might be due to wear in the bearings or to other causes would have practically no effect on the proper meshing relationship of these surfaces.

As will now be apparent, the gears 25 that are attached to the rolls may be made somewhat smaller in diameter than the roll diameter in order to permit free access to-the paper carried by the rolls from either side of the drying apparatus. The speed of rotation of the drive shafts |6 and I1 may be of the order of 900 to 1200 R; P. M. corresponding approximately to an efiicient motor speed, the speed reduction provided by the bevel gears and by the spur gears permitting the use of a spur pinion 26 of satisfactory size 4to provide for efiicient and comparatively a third as large as the corresponding gears would have to be if they directly meshed with one another, so that very little noise is created and the spiral bevel gears are of such accurate design and construction as to operate practically noiselessly. The plain bearings provided for the rolls give a 'very economical construction although providing a quite suitable and satisfactory support for the rolls. None of the gears on the shaft section 28 are required to carry more than the load for one of the rolls so there is no unusual or excessive loading or straining of these parts. And with the unitary arrangement of the drive mechanism, the various operating parts including nearly al1 of the gearing and shaft bearings of the drive may be properly assembled in their proper positions and then shipped and readily mounted as a unit.

The construction in which the operating shaft I6 is arranged on the outer side of the frame with the spur gearing 25 and 26 between the machine frame and the end of the roll is especially desirable to provide free access to the plain bearings at the ends of the rolls, and to conceal the various operating parts.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a series of vertically arranged rolls in said frame, a plain bearing on said frame for each of 'said rolls, a spur gear fixed to each roll and of smaller diameter than said rolls, a spur pinion in meshing engagement with each of said spur gears, the axes of said spur pinion and spur gear being spaced apart substantially horizontally, a vertically extending operating shaft, and bevel gearing for operating .each of said spur pinions from said operatingshaft.

2. In a drier of the character" described, in combination, a frame, a series of drier rolls, plain bearings for said rolls mounted on said frame, a spur gear fixed to each of said rolls and located lbetween the respective roll and saidframe, said spur gears having a smaller diameter than the noiseless operation. The gears 25 are only about roll diameter, a spur pinion meshing with each spur gear, a shaft fixed to each of said spur pinions, a housing for each shaft, said housings extending through holes in the frame, and means in said housings on the outer side of the frame for driving said shafts, said spur pinions being smaller than the holes in the frame and each being removable with its respective shaft and housing as a unit.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a frame, astraight series of rolls journalled in said frame, a spur gear of smaller diameter than the roll diameter fixed to each of said rolls, a drive pinion for and meshing with each of said spur gears, a shaft fixed to each of said d'rive pinions, a bevel gear on each of said shafts for operating each' drive pinion, a bevel pinion meshing with each bevel gear and each supplying driving power for only a single roll, and

a common drive shaft carrying said bevel pinions and extending past the ends of the rolls between a geometric plane through the axes of the rolls and a plane tangential to the peripheries of the rolls, the axis of each drive pinion being horizontally spaced from the axis of its respective roll a distance exceeding the radius of the spur gear and being between a horizontal plane through the axis of its roll and a horizontal plane tangential to the upper periphery of its roll.

4. In a device ofthecharacterdescribed,incornbination, a frame, a plurality of rolls journalled in said frame, a spur gear fixed to each roll, a pinion meshing with each spur gear, a pinion shaft for each pinion extending parallel to the roll axes, a housing for each pinion shaft having a cylindrical extending portion projecting into an opening in said frame and having bearing means rotatably supporting said pinion shaft, means detachably securing each of said housings to the frame, a bevel gear fixed to each pinion shaft and arranged in its respective housing, a common drive means for said bevel gears including connected shaft sections having gear means meshing with the respective bevel gears, and bearing means in each housing for its respective shaft section, each of said housings being removable from the frame together with its respective pinion shaft, bevel gear and shaft section as an assembled unit.

5. In a device oi' the character described, in combination, afrarne, a plurality of rolls journalled in said frame and arranged in a substantially vertical series, a spur gear fixed to each of said rolls, a, drive pinion meshing with each of said spur gears, the axes of each drive pinion and its associated spur gear being laterally spaced apart such distance as to locate their respective axes in a substantially horizontal plane, oper-- ating shaft sections arranged end to end one above the other and providing a common oper-- ating shaft for said pinions, drive meansr operablycnnecting said shaft to said pinions, a sectional housing having bearings for said shaft and entirely enclosing said shaft and` drive means, and forming a continuous lubricant chamber for said shaft and drive means, and means for securing said housing to said frame.

STEPHEN A. STAEGE. 

